Vehicle association with driver using mobile technologies

• US 9,443,432 B2
• Filed: 11/09/2012
• Issued: 09/13/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Trimble Navigation Limited (Trimble Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Trimble Navigation Limited (Trimble Inc.)
• Inventors: Tam, Joyce
• Primary Examiner(s): Tarcza, Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lee, Tyler J
• Application Number:
  US13/673,092
• Publication Number:
  US 20140136012A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,404 Days
• Field of Search: 701/1, 701/24, 701/36, 701/70, 340/4.6, 340 58- 586, 340/426.11, 307 91- 105, 705 712- 716, 705 738- 742, 705/34, 382/105, 726/4
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/42 Determining position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 17/00 Digital computing or data processing equipment or methods, specially adapted for specific functions information retrieval, database structures or file system structures therefor G06F16/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/00 Registering or indicating the working of vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/02 Registering or indicating driving, working, idle, or waiting time only apparatus forming part of taximeters G07B13/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/08 Registering or indicating performance data other than driving, working, idle, or waiting time, with or without registering driving, working, idle or waiting time
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0841 Registering performance data recording measured values G01D; information storage G11B
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/1427 with transmitter-receiver for distance detection
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0238 adding new units to the system
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0261 System arrangements wherein the object is to detect trespassing over a fixed physical boundary, e.g. the end of a garden
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0272 System arrangements wherein the object is to detect exact location of child or item using triangulation other than GPS
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0277 Communication between units on a local network, e.g. Bluetooth, piconet, zigbee, Wireless Personal Area Networks [WPAN]
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0283 via a telephone network, e.g. cellular GSM
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/20 Monitoring the location of vehicles belonging to a group, e.g. fleet of vehicles, countable or determined number of vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0861 using biometrical features, e.g. fingerprint, retina-scan cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using biological data H04L9/3231
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/72 : Subscriber identity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/77 : Graphical identity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 : using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 : Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/40 : for vehicles, e.g. vehicle-to-pedestrians [V2P]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 : Terminal devices

Abstract

An improved method for asset management is described. The method includes receiving information from a remote reporting device in close proximity to an asset, the information including a first unique identifier associated with the asset and a second unique identifier associated with a user of the asset. The method further includes associating the asset with the user based on the information. Additionally, the method includes monitoring use of the asset and maintaining a record of the use by the user based on the information.

Claims

1. A method for managing vehicles, the method comprising:

receiving, at a computer system from a portable electronic device in close proximity to a vehicle in real time, a first unique identifier of the vehicle, said portable electronic device having a second unique identifier associated with a user of the portable electronic device, wherein the first unique identifier of the vehicle is submitted by the user via the portable electronic device;

associating, at said computer system, the vehicle with said user based on said first unique identifier of the vehicle, said second unique identifier associated with the user, and the close proximity of the vehicle with the portable electronic device in real time;

receiving, at said computer system, position information of the portable electronic device from a position sensor attached to the portable electronic device;

determining, at said computer system, position information of the vehicle based on the position information of the portable electronic device and the close proximity of the vehicle with the portable electronic device in real time; and

monitoring, at said computer system, use of said vehicle and maintaining a record of said use by said user based on said position information of said vehicle.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said monitoring includes receiving status information associated with the vehicle.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the first unique identifier of the vehicle includes a license plate number of the vehicle.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the first unique identifier of the vehicle is received as a text message from the portable electronic device, the text message submitted by the user.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the first unique identifier of the vehicle is received as an image including a license plate number or a vehicle identification number (VIN) of the vehicle.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the first unique identifier of the vehicle includes a barcode associated with the vehicle.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the first unique identifier of the vehicle includes voice data generated by said user.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the first unique identifier of the vehicle includes alphanumeric data generated by said user.

9. A system for managing a vehicle, the system comprising:

a receiver configured to receive from a portable electronic device in close proximity to the vehicle in real time a first unique identifier of the vehicle, said portable electronic device having a second unique identifier associated with a user of the portable electronic device, wherein the first unique identifier of the vehicle is submitted by the user via the portable electronic device;

a vehicle management module coupled with said receiver, the vehicle management module configured to;

associate the vehicle with said user based on said first unique identifier of the vehicle, said second unique identifier associated with the user, and the close proximity of the vehicle with the portable electronic device in real time;

receive position information of the portable electronic device from a position sensor attached to the portable electronic device;

determine position information of the vehicle based on the position information of the portable electronic device and the close proximity of the vehicle with the portable electronic device in real time;

monitor use of the vehicle based on the position information of the vehicle; and

a database coupled with the vehicle management module and configured to maintain a record of said use.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein the first unique identifier of the vehicle includes a license plate number of the vehicle.

11. The system of claim 9 wherein the first unique identifier of the vehicle is received as a text message from the portable electronic device, the text message submitted by the user.

12. The system of claim 9 wherein the first unique identifier of the vehicle is received as an image including a license plate number or vehicle identification number (VIN) of the vehicle.

13. The system of claim 9 wherein the first unique identifier of the vehicle includes a barcode associated with the vehicle.

14. The system of claim 9 wherein the first unique identifier of the vehicle includes voice data generated by the user.

15. The system of claim 9 wherein the first unique identifier of the vehicle includes alphanumeric data generated by said user.

16. A method for tracking a vehicle, the method comprising:

receiving a phone call from a portable electronic device;

identifying with a caller identification system a telephone number associated with the portable electronic device;

associating the portable electronic device with a user of the portable electronic device based on the telephone number;

prompting said user of said portable electronic device to submit a unique identifier associated with the vehicle that is in close proximity with the portable electronic device in real time;

receiving from the user through the portable electronic device the unique identifier associated with the vehicle;

associating the user with the vehicle based on the unique identifier associated with the vehicle, the telephone number, and the close proximity of the vehicle with the portable electronic device in real time;

receiving position information of said portable electronic device from a position sensor attached to said portable electronic device; and

determining position information of the vehicle based on the position information of the portable electronic device and the close proximity of the vehicle with the portable electronic device in real time.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein said unique identifier associated with the vehicle is a vehicle license number.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein said prompting is performed by generating audible instructions.

19. The method of claim 16 wherein said prompting is performed by generating a text message.

20. A method for tracking a vehicle, the method comprising:

receiving, at a computer system from a portable electronic device associated with a user, a unique identifier of the vehicle that is in close proximity with the portable electronic device in real time;

identifying a telephone number associated with said portable electronic device;

determining an identity of said user based on said telephone number;

associating the vehicle with said user based on said identity of said user, said unique identifier of the vehicle, and the close proximity of the vehicle with the portable electronic device in real time and

monitoring the position of the vehicle by monitoring the position of the portable electronic device through a position sensor attached to the portable electronic device.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein the unique identifier of the vehicle includes a text message.

22. The method of claim 20 wherein said unique identifier is received as an image.

23. The method of claim 22 further comprising:

parsing said unique identifier from said image.

24. The method of claim 20 wherein said unique identifier is received as a text message.

25. The method of claim 24 further comprising:

parsing said unique identifier from said text message.